Chinese National Mandarin Teacher - job search otions

My partner and I met while I was working in Thailand; she is fully qualified teacher from China and she would like to work in the UK for a year or two to get a feel for the country. Where are the best places to look for teaching jobs for Mandarin teachers?

My partner and I met while I was working in Thailand; she is fully qualified teacher from China and she would like to work in the UK for a year or two to get a feel for the country. Where are the best places to look for teaching jobs for Mandarin teachers?

The TES is a good place to start her search. If she has a particular area in mind she could also look at local authority websites and contact local teaching agencies. Does she intend to teach only Mandarin, or is she able to offer other subjects? The more flexible she is able to be, the greater the opportunity to gain day to day supply work through an agency. If she is not familiar with the UK school system she might consider working as a TA to gain this experience before applying for teaching positions.
Does your partner have the right to work in the UK? If she will need a work permit, then she is likely to have difficulties obtaining work. Schools can only be given a permit for a foreign worker if they can demonstrate through the local labour market test that they have advertised and been unable to attract a UK/EU worker. It will not matter if your partner is a better applicant than local ones, she will not be granted a permit over local applicants. I know of schools who have tried to gain work permits for Mandarin teachers from China only to be refused and told to make a local hire. Agencies cannot sponsor teachers for work permits for supply work and a permit is not likely to be awarded for TA work as there are plenty of local or EU applicants for these positions. The teaching job market is very difficult at the moment with too many applicants chasing too few positions, I wish her the best of luck.